NorthPark Center

Dallas Hall, with an SMU Centennial flag on the dome and a vintage Mustang coupe at the front steps, celebrates its 100th birthday as a highlight of The Trains at NorthPark’s 2012 exhibition. Photo: Kim Ritzenthaler.

Each holiday season, more than 80,000 people visit Dallas’ NorthPark Center to see the most elaborate toy train exhibit in Texas. And in 2012, the scale locomotives – including an SMU railcar – roll past Dallas Hall in honor of the historic landmark’s 100th birthday.

The Trains at NorthPark celebrates its 25th anniversary supporting the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas and its 14th year at NorthPark Center in 2012. The exhibit encompasses 1,600 feet of track and more than 4,000 square feet of train-themed environments, with all the trimmings of the holiday train travel experience: steam engine and coach cars, a ticket booth and a train station.

This holiday season, SMU’s iconic oldest building joins a Dallas cityscape that includes the downtown skyline, the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the State Fair of Texas and the Cotton Bowl. Dallas Hall’s presence in the exhibit was made possible by the SMU Centennial Host Committee.

The miniature journey across America also includes New York City’s Times Square and Grand Central Station; the White House in Washington, D.C.; New England fall foliage; Albuquerque’s hot-air balloon festival; the Grand Canyon; Route 66; San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and many other sights and highlights.

The plaque placed at Dallas Hall during its 100th birthday celebration commends “those visionary donors and leaders who created the crowning symbol of SMU.” Photo: Hillsman S. Jackson

The University marked Dallas Hall’s centennial in November with the placement of a plaque commemorating its 100 years as SMU’s center and focal point. The plaque is located next to the building’s southwest door, near the cornerstone laid by the University’s founders on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1912.

Since 1987 The Trains at NorthPark has raised money for children and families served by the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. Currently this annual fundraiser provides the funds for almost one-third of the organization’s annual operating budget.

The Trains at NorthPark is located on the 2nd level of NorthPark Center, next to Barneys New York.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. The trains run through Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013.